29 May 2012

GAMBIA : UTG to Form Basketball Team Soon

The students of the University of The Gambia (UTG) are on the process of forming a basketball team that will represent the institution in any basketball championship they will be invited. The move is also meant to promote the game at the UTG.
Speaking to Observer Sports at their training ground at the YMCA basketball lawn along the MDI road, Vincent Mendy, minister of Sports at the UTG Students Union, said the initiative is all geared towards promoting all sporting disciplines at the UTG just as football.
"But in order to capture everybody (UTG sportsmen and women) when it comes to sports, we thought it wise to initiate this so that those that are interested in the game can take part," he said.
He expressed hope that the initiative will unite the students through sports, noting that they have been organising test games in the past in order to identify good players. He expressed confidence that it would be a successful move, saying most of the UTG basketball players are competing in the national league.
"We want to leave a legacy at the UTG and we are therefore calling on the government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Institutions, individuals, and UTG student body to come on board and support this worthy course," he added.
For his part, Yorro Njie, deputy Sports Minister at the UTG said: "We have good players at the UTG who are playing in the basketball league and we are trying to convince them to come and play for the UTG because the UTG should come first. We are not only establishing a team for the UTG but also to attract players at the junior and senior school for them to know that one day they can play for the UTG.
"The UTG is a standard University as always said by the vice chancellor and it is incumbent on every Gambian to portray the good image of the UTG. So we don't only want to focus on academic but also diversify to sports."
He equally called for support from the general public, while thanking Papa Njie, president of the Gambia Basketball Association who approached them personally and impressed on them theneed to have a basketball team at the UTG that can even take part in the national league.